ROBERT MORALES: Italian volleyball players Paolo Nicolai and Daniele Lupo enjoying the good life

Playing professional beach volleyball on the FIVB World Tour can be taxing as it makes stops in places like China, Brazil, Poland, Russia and Italy.

"It's a lot of work," Paolo Nicolai of Italy said. "It's very difficult because for six months, every time the luggage is in our hands."

Poor guy. Not really. Nicolai and his playing partner, Daniele Lupo, are living the life. Just last year they represented Italy in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

They did not medal but they did have the pleasure of ousting the American team of Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser in the round of 16. The Americans were trying to defend the gold medal they won in 2008 in the Beijing Games.

"It's the best experience of my life," Lupo said. "When we beat Todd and Phil, it was amazing."

Nicolai's description was equally heartfelt, but much more colorful.

"The Olympics is the best moment in the career of a player," he said. "Maybe winning a gold medal in the Olympics is better than going to the Olympics. But we were very proud because the whole world can see you.

"All the sacrifices you have done before you go to the Olympics, when you go to the Olympics it's all for the moment when you go on the court and look and see a lot of people and a lot of cameras, a lot of television. It's great."

This week Nicolai and Lupo are in Long Beach for the Long Beach Grand Slam, the first FIVB event in the U.S. in 10 years. The duo trained in Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach in 2011, but they'd never been in Long Beach.

"This is the first time," Nicolai said. "We like it so much. We arrived four days before the tournament so we can visit the center of the beach. It's a symbol of California. When we in Italy think about California, we think (about) this place."

Lupo seemed even more excited about playing here.

"I think for me, it's the best tournament," he said, "because I like California, America, and I'm so happy."

Yes, these two young men -- Nicolai is 25, Lupo is just 22 -- are having a blast. Before they sat down with a reporter, they saw Mr. Rogers again.

This time, though, Rogers was paired with 7-foot-1 Ryan Doherty, who replaced Dalhausser after Dalhausser decided to continue his career with Sean "Rosie" Rosenthal.

Once again, the Italians prevailed. They defeated Rogers and Doherty in straight sets in pool play Thursday on the sand off Shoreline Drive. These guys are in only their third year together, but they are very good.

"We are friends off the court," the 6-foot-8 Nicolai said. "This is a big help for us because on the court, if we are in trouble, we can speak to our partner. I think we can play together for a long time."

For now, all they care about is what takes place in three years -- the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. They got a nice taste of the ultimate sporting event in London, but as much as they loved just being there, next time that won't be enough. They want to improve upon their fifth-place finish by getting some hardware to hang around their necks.

"It's very important for me and Paolo because it's our goal and we are dreaming about that all the time," Lupo said.

Nicolai realized it won't be easy to win Italy's first medal, men or women, in beach volleyball since it became an Olympic sport in 1996.

"We know that this is difficult because there are a lot of teams that are ready to get a medal," Nicolai said. "But we want to get that medal, and we are working on that."